Wells, David H

Traditional photojournalism usually involves black and white images for newspaper reproduction. But, as daily publications introduce color, contemporary photojournalists explore a new aspect of photography. David Wells is one those photographers, documenting American life for a mass audience in living color. Against the surge of swift images provided by television, Wells allows viewers the time to think about what they are seeing, by holding the moment and revealing its subtleties. This time to think and absorb information is critical to Well's work, for his subject matter revolves around thought provoking issues. One on-going project addresses American homeless, from the man in San Francisco with a shopping cart that holds all his worldly possessions including his pet rabbit, to the radical group of teenage squatters who occupy abandoned buildings in Philadelphia. By focusing on the issue from a variety on angles, Wells provides an in-depth documentary of a growing social problem.

During his month-long residency in October 1987, Wells concentrated on improving his skills as a color printer. His recent photo-essay, on the exclusive Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, an internationally renowned school for Jewish boys and young adults, covered six pages and the center spread of the Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine. During his Light Work residency, Wells began printing his own color images. After reprinting his Yeshiva series he realized that decisions made in the darkroom were just as important as those made during the taking of the photograph. Through continued practice Wells discovered that he could control subtle color differences in the print that allowed him to portray the original feeling of his work more accurately.

As color photographs continue to play a more important part of the printed media's output, decisions made by photojournalists in every production aspect of the final image will become a more thoughtful part of that process. In this regard David Wells has advanced his documentary concerns by consciously combining his skill for revealing the honesty of any given situation with his understanding of the craft of color photography. This combination will no doubt heighten his proven ability to reveal the truths of human interaction against the details of institutional constraints, that currently resounds in his work.

D.Rae Sutherland (c)1987

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Traditional photojournalism usually involves black and white images for newspaper reproduction. But, as daily publications introduce color, contemporary photojournalists explore a new aspect of photography. David Wells is one those photographers, documenting American life for a mass audience in living color. Against the surge of swift images provided by television, Wells allows viewers the time to think about what they are seeing, by holding the moment and revealing its subtleties. This time to think and absorb information is critical to Well's work, for his subject matter revolves around thought provoking issues. One on-going project addresses American homeless, from the man in San Francisco with a shopping cart that holds all his worldly possessions including his pet rabbit, to the radical group of teenage squatters who occupy abandoned buildings in Philadelphia. By focusing on the issue from a variety on angles, Wells provides an in-depth documentary of a growing social problem.

During his month-long residency in October 1987, Wells concentrated on improving his skills as a color printer. His recent photo-essay, on the exclusive Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, an internationally renowned school for Jewish boys and young adults, covered six pages and the center spread of the Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine. During his Light Work residency, Wells began printing his own color images. After reprinting his Yeshiva series he realized that decisions made in the darkroom were just as important as those made during the taking of the photograph. Through continued practice Wells discovered that he could control subtle color differences in the print that allowed him to portray the original feeling of his work more accurately.

As color photographs continue to play a more important part of the printed media's output, decisions made by photojournalists in every production aspect of the final image will become a more thoughtful part of that process. In this regard David Wells has advanced his documentary concerns by consciously combining his skill for revealing the honesty of any given situation with his understanding of the craft of color photography. This combination will no doubt heighten his proven ability to reveal the truths of human interaction against the details of institutional constraints, that currently resounds in his work.